A power supply circuit of this type is known from IEEE Industrial Applications Soc. 1982, pp. 1395-1405, "High Voltage, High Frequency Switching using a cascode connection of bipolar transistor and power MOSFET". In this known power supply circuit a current transformer is used for proportionally driving the base of the bipolar transistor. The collector current is transformed down, generally five times, by means of the current transformer and is used as the base current for the bipolar transistor. Proportional drive of the base of a bipolar transistor is necessary to ensure that the base of the bipolar transistor remains within its normal operating range (i.e. the base current should not be either too large or too small) at varying collector currents. A drawback of this known power supply circuit is that the current transformer is expensive and occupies much space on the printed circuit board. A further drawback of this known power supply circuit is that the current transformer is an extra component, rendering the power supply circuit as a whole more expensive.